During the installation of various surface materials, fasteners are utilized to retain them in place. For example, surface materials, such as drywall, are typically installed using screws that are driven by an electrically-powered driver tool, such as a drill, impact driver, or the like. The drywall screws are inserted through the drywall sheet and into wood or metal studs that serve as a support structure, allowing the drywall sheets to be attached thereto. Furthermore, because drywall is the primary material that is used for the construction of walls in buildings and homes, a substantial number of fasteners are needed to secure the drywall sheet to the anchoring studs. In addition, a large number of screws are needed in order to comply with local building codes and regulations as well. Furthermore, because drywall sheets are required to be attached to wood or metal studs, such as two-by-fours, only a small region common to the drywall and stud is provided whereby the screw can be received through both the drywall and the stud.
However, due to the large number of screws that are installed during a typical drywall installation, an installer may insert a number of screws into the drywall that fail to reach or otherwise be anchored in the stud. That is, instances arise where a drywall installer fails to install the screw in the appropriate location, such that the screw is received only within the drywall without being thereby received and retained within the stud. Unfortunately, due to the consistency of the drywall, screws that are driven only into the drywall cause a hole to be bored therein without sufficient threads being formed, thus preventing the threads of the screw from grabbing the drywall so that the screw can be backed out by reversing the rotation of the driver tool.
Unfortunately, leaving improperly installed screws in the drywall does not yield a satisfactory result, as the finishing compound applied over the head of the screws prevent the surface of the drywall from being smooth when installed. As such, drywall installers often use a pry tool, screwdriver, or their fingers to extract the screw from the drywall. In addition, when using their hands, they may get cut, bruised, or otherwise injured after the completion of several screw extractions. This process is often tedious, time-consuming, and can cause damage to the drywall. Moreover, the use of such tools requires the installer to set the driver tool down and find the pry tool, which decreases the installer's productivity, while making the installer's job difficult and unpleasant.
In addition, because the operator must physically support the driver tool used to install fasteners, it would be beneficial to allow the user to operate a fastener extraction device with minimal effort without necessitating a change in his or her grip of the driver tool. That is, current fastener extraction devices require the operator to release his or her operative grip on the driver tool in order to actuate the extraction device. Unfortunately, this is inconvenient and slows down the operator's work flow and production, as he or she has to reposition his or her hands to operate the extraction device. Furthermore, in some circumstances, such repositioning of the operator's hands may result in the accidental dropping of the driver tool, which may cause injury to the operator and/or damage to the drive tool.
Therefore, there is a need in the art for a fastener extraction device for removing fasteners, such as screws, from drywall. In addition, there is a need in the art for a fastener extraction device that can be mounted or otherwise attached to a power driver or other fastener driving power tool, such as a drill, impact driver, or the like. Moreover, there is a need in the art for an automated fastener extraction device that is low cost. In addition, there is a need for an automated fastener extraction device that includes an automated extraction system that allows a user to control the operation of the grasping arms without requiring the user to release his or her operative grip of the driver tool.